(For the five total people that really like this story and love Ferris/Eric... this ones for you!)

Eric Pov

Eric paced down one of the many concrete halls of Dauntless with long strides. To the uninitiated, the halls of Dauntless might at first appear all identical to each other. Long, square halls composed exclusively of dark grey concrete that seemed to loom for miles without end. But, at this point, Eric could practically navigate the maze of Dauntless with his eyes closed. The countless cracks, marks, and divots in the walls and floors served as his guide posts, each one a familiar landmark that created a mental map of the compound. 

Eric knew that the hall near the Pit was the one missing two ceiling tiles and that the floor leading to the chasm boasted a long crack that looked like a lightning bolt frozen in stone. He also knew that the hallway outside of the training room was one of the only halls that possessed a hand railing and that there was a slow decline in the hall's elevation. Eric didn’t bother using the railing in the hall as he walked throughout his faction, destination unknown. 

He’d been unable to find sleep that night and after about two hours of tossing and turning, Eric decided to tire himself out by taking a lengthy stroll around the Dauntless community. The halls were largely empty considering that it was nearly 1am in the morning and also a Tuesday. 

Eric was lost in thought, plotting in his mind who he should match up in the next fights between the current initiates. So far, Eric wasn’t very impressed by this initiate class but, to be fair, he was never impressed by any incoming class. At least there were a few standouts in the group so far. 

The Erudite transfer, Ryan, had easily been the fastest in the mile run by nearly fifteen seconds. His stamina and ability to push himself was a good quality and he was pretty nimble on his feet during sparring. But he needed to gain weight and master his hand eye coordination if he wanted to stand a chance in real physical combat. 

Eric also thought of the big Abnegation transfer, Dietrich. Dietrich was easily the biggest and heaviest of all the transfers and had shown promise during his first match against Frankfurt. Unfortunately, Dietrich didn’t quite possess the killer instinct of a Dauntless yet, he still harbored some of that classic Abnegation restraint. Had Dietrich not pulled his punches and let up at the end of his match, Dietrich would have surely won against Frankfurt. 

Speaking of Frankfurt, Eric had initially thought that he was the frontrunner of the initiate group. Frankfurt was a well rounded athlete overall and possessed good speed, strength, and technique. But his mouth and ass seemed to be located within inches of each other and his shitty attitude and massive ego would only get him in trouble in Dauntless.

Thankfully, Frankfurt’s ego had already taken a serious blow just the other night when a certain initiate literally smacked him in the face with a lunch tray and pummeled him into the floor for talking shit. It was bound to happen at some point, Eric thought, but he would have never imagined it would be the quiet, seeingly meek, Candor initiate to do it. 

Ferris Maguire, the tall, reserved girl that often hung out around the little redheaded one whose name Eric couldn’t recall in that moment. The Candor that preferred not to speak. 

At first, Eric wasn’t sure what to make of the Candor. She was the first jumper, which Eric thought was an out-dated achievement overall, but she had shown some real promise during the first week of training. She had decent stamina and strength from a baseline perspective and wasn’t half bad at sparring. But it was that temper, the livid, red hot anger simmering beneath her skin, just waiting for a chance to strike, that would either lift her to the top or be her downfall.

Eric was used to seeing male initiates exhibit extra aggression and even malicious tendencies, but it was rare to see it in a female. He didn’t think that in a sexist way, it was just that, contrary to popular belief, Eric did believe that females tended to have better control of their emotions than men did and were naturally more mature as well. And although there were certainly several hot headed women in Dauntless, most of them presented themselves that way all the time. They were always feisty and looking for a reason to argue or fight. 

But not Ferris.  

Eric had watched her from the beginning. She didn’t speak when it wasn’t necessary and was more inclined to just listen and watch. Even with her gaggle of initiate friends, she never really jousted or rough housed with any of them in the same way that they did with each other. Even during training, she never showed off or boasted about her natural athleticism even though she was easily one of the top lifters among the females and potentially the strongest overall. At first, Ferris seemed to possess the perfect temperament of a good soldier that follows orders and gets the job done no matter what…or at least she had until her first fight against Lily.

Which is precisely what made her temper all the more surprising when it did surface.

It just took one wrong comment to turn Ferris from a quiet observer to an angry force of nature. Most cracked under the pressure, but Ferris seemed different somehow different. There was a potential for greatness in her, and Eric was determined to push her to her limits to find out just how far she could go. 

Eric found himself smiling faintly at the memory of Ferris nearly burying Frankfurt into the concrete of Dauntless as he strolled further through the halls. He rounded a corner, nearing a set of double doors that led to the training room, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and found himself taking a couple steps backward. Eric’s brows furrowed as he caught sight of movement from within the closed training room. His icey blue gaze narrowed as he spotted a human figure sparring with a training dummy within the off limits training room. 

The figure was decidedly feminine and moved nimbly around the dummy, practicing their sparring tenchinique and focusing on their foot placement. They were only wearing loose basketball shorts and a black sports bra. Eric squinted further, briefly cursing his less than superior eye sight since he hand’t bothered putting his contacts back in. It was in the way that she flipped her long brown hair off her shoulder and threw that right undercut that Eric recognized the initiate. 

He nearly scoffed in surprise.

Why was Ferris Maguire breaking Dauntless curfew just to get some extra sparring practice in the middle of the night? 

Although Eric didn’t think that much of most Dauntless rules regarding what time things closed and were considered off limits, Ferris was an initiate and it was strictly forbidden for them to be out of the initiat’e quarters without permission after midnight. 

Eric considered whether or not he should bother repremanding her. Some part of him wanted to just enjoy his silent night walk and let her practice in peace. And another part of him was interested in asking why the Candor had decided to start training five hours ahead of schedule. Of course, there was also the leader portion of Eric telling him that he should write her up for breaking the rules. But Eric hated paperwork…

Eric sighed through his nose before finally deciding to enter the training room. The large blond slipped through the door without a sound and Ferris didn’t even notice his entry. He watched her for a brief moment, quietly criticizing her technique in his head, before silently walking towards her position. His steps were feather soft and made so little sound that he was able to come within fifteen feet of the initiate wihtohut her noticing. 

In fact, Eric waited till she was reached down for her water cup, with her back turned, before making his presence known. 

“Ahem,” Eric cleared his throat loudly, the low sound echoing around the room. 

The Candor’s shoulders jolted forward and she nearly lept in surprise. She turned with wide eyes as half the water from her cup spilt down her bra top, turning the dark fabric even darker. Eric’s eyes almost trailed down her chest, nearly admiring her flushed skin and slim figure, but he kept his gaze focused on her face. He did glance briefly at the new cherry blossom tattoo on her shoulder but only for a fraction of a second. 

Eric just smirked in quiet satisfaction at her reaction while she coughed into her elbow after briefly choking on the water. He stood with his hands behind his back as the initiate tried desperately to recover and stand up straight.  

She cleared her throat as her eyes darted to the door behind him. Eric stayed rooted in place, presenting himself as an immovable force. 

“Uhm, good evening Eric,” Ferris managed tentatively. 

“I think you meant to say good morning,” Eric corrected. “It’s 1am.”

A nervous laugh escaped Ferris’s mouth as she looked about skittishly. 

“Oh, darn, must have lost track of time,” She replied quickly, reaching down for her discarded shirt on the floor but not breaking eye contact with him. “I can, uh, show myself back to the initiate’s quarters.”

Eric curled a brow. 

“The training room closes at 9pm,” Eric said knowingly, not willing to let her get away so easily. Ferris nodded, knowing that she was caught, and wrung her palms over the shirt she held.

“And I doubt you’ve been down here for four hours straight and forgot the time,” Eric added.

“I mean, if I did, would I not be in trouble?” She offered with a sheepish grin and a tilt of her head. 

Eric’s expression remained steadfast but a dark glint flickered in his eyes. 

“Who said you were in trouble?” Eric asked, nearly toying with the Candor now. 

Ferris swallowed, suddenly uncertain of how to proceed. Eric watched her expression closley and saw a dozen different thoughts race behind her eyes. 

The Candor sighed through her nose before loosely crossing her arms, inadvertently making her mostly bare chest even more pronounced than before. 

“I just couldn’t sleep,” She admitted. “Figured I could try to tire myself out with some extra sparring practice.”

Eric considered her words and determined them to be true. 

“Didn’t get enough energy out the other night with Frankfurt?” Eric asked, pretending to be skeptical. 

Ferris’s body language slowly relaxed as she realized Eric wasn’t there to drag her out by the ear for trespassing. She scoffed at his question and her shoulders slowly untensed.

“No, ya’ll stopped me before I could finish the asshole off,” She replied caustically, a drip of malice laced into her words. 

Eric had to fight the chuckle in his chest from sounding.

“Well, dead iniates look bad on my resume,” Eric countered, earning a genuine grin from Ferris.

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time someone pisses me off,” Ferris nodded before slipping her shirt on over her head. 

Eric may or may not have taken a small glance at her flat midriff before it disappeared under the loose shirt. The Candor then nervously scratched the back of her neck.

“So, uhm, can I go now?” Ferris asked, glancing at the door behind him again.

“Hmmm I don’t know,” Eric pondered, his tone darkly playful as he took a step forward. “Your sparring technique could still use some work, that's for sure.”

Ferris’ brows furrowed as she suddenly became self conscious. 

“How’s that?” She asked.

“Get in your stance,” Eric instructed. 

Ferris hesitated but slowly complied, shifting into her fighting stance. Eric circled her like a shark, his gaze sharp and critical. He’d already seen everything he needed too earlier, when he’d first walked in, but he decided it was more fun to watch her squirm subtlety under his scrutiny. To her credit, the initiate did little squirming and actually held a decent sparring posture, but not perfect.

“For starters, you need to keep your elbows tucked,” Eric announced, tapping the edge of Ferris’s elbow. The Candor nearly flinched at the contact. “You look like a chicken.”

A muscle in Ferris’s jaw feathered at his comment but she said nothing. Instead, she gradually lowered her elbows, so that they would protect her midsection.

Eric then reached out lazily and pushed her shoulder, making her stumble slightly to the side. Ferris nearly snapped something at him but Eric beat her to it. 

“You're off balance because you're flat footed,” He pointed out. “Stay on the balls of your feet, you’ll be able to react quicker.”

Once again, Ferris adjusted her posture, but she did glare at Eric briefly from the corner of her eye this time. 

Finally, Eric reached out and lifed the bottom of her forearms up. His touch was so delicate, it barely even brushed her skin. A pink blush creeped up the Candor’s neck and Eric almost smirked, enjoying the effect he had on her. 

“Keep your hands up, you're leaving your face and throat open,” Eric commented before taking a step back and accessing her technique changes. 

Ferris’s eyes darted back and forth uncertainly. Normally she had some sharp Candor remark or sarcastic quip to deflect with. Instead she just shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Better,” Eric conceded, running his eyes over her much improved form and certainly not noticing that she had really well sculpted calf muscles. “Now use it.”

The Candor’s expression shifted to bemuesement before she then turned towards the dummy.

“Nope, not the dummy,” Eric said before going into a stance himself. “Me.”

Ferris’s posture wavered and she nearly rolled her eyes. 

“Were you building me up all this time just to embarrass me?” She asked, her tone sarcastic but there was a hint of curiosity in her words as well. 

“Not at all,” Eric replied. “Well, whether or not you embarrass yourself is up to you but think of it as no different from training.”

The Candor bit her lower lip before returning to her new sparring stance. She rolled her shoulders back and a fresh wave of confidence flickered across her features. Ferris was so tall that she could nearly look him directly in the eye without looking up. And in this specific moment, she felt like she might stand a chance against him. 

A twinge of renewed interest flickered in Eric’s chest as the Candor rose to the challenge rather than shrinking away. Just like a real Dauntless would. 

Without warning, Ferris lunged forward, her speed nearly catching Eric off guard. He deflected her first jab easily but would be lying if the second jab, the one aimed for his ribs, wasn’t a little too close for comfort. She tried to land a punch at his throat but her fist bounced harmlessly off his tattooed forearm and was followed by a similar jab to his face.

Suddenly, she reared back and delivered a beautiful front roundhouse kick, the same Four had demonstrated just the day before, that nearly brushed Eric’s nose. Eric had to actually take a step back to avoid her foot and with unexpected speed, Eric wrapped his hand around her calf. In one swift motion, he redirected her momentum and flung her to the side, where she tumbled to the floor. 

Ferris rolled once upon the thick sparring mat, coming to a stop on her side with her back turned to Eric. Eric grinned in minute satisfaction, appreciating her effort but also noting one of her weaknesses. Eric thought he saw one of her shoulders tremble in pain, or maybe something else, as he sauntered over to where she layed on the floor with a triumphant expression on his handsome face. 

Little did he know, Ferris was seething. He couldn’t see the way her lip had curled and how tightly her jaw was clenched. 

“Nice kick, but next time you might want to aim lower,” Eric noted as the Candor pushed herself up on the mat with her back still turned to him. 

Eric opened his mouth to offer some more sarcastic advice but before he could even open his mouth, Ferris flipped her body around in a flash of speed and swept her legs underneath Eric’s. The edge of her heel collided with his shin.

Eric stumbled backwards before actually falling backwards onto the sparring mat. Eric fell with a loud plop and he even grunted in surprise before his eyes snapped furiously over to the Candor. 

For a couple tense seconds, Ferris stared wide eyed at Eric, like a deer in headlights. She was half stunned and half terrified for her life. Eric’s jaw clenched as he glared menacingly at the transfer from his position on the floor. 

All of a sudden, a nervous grin pulled at the edge of the brunette girl's mouth and her eyes creased joyously. The Candor actually began giggling from her position on the mat, her chest heaving slightly as she flipped her long ponytail off her shoulder with a delighted smile. 

“Ahah, gotcha!” Ferris gloated jokingly as she grabbed her stomach in a fit of giggles. 

Eric arched a brow, his prior irritation disappearing instantly at the sight of her actually laughing. He found himself fighting the urge to chuckle as Ferris fell backwards onto the mat, still quietly laughing to herself.

“You’re just so funny,” Eric replied with a roll of his eyes as he rose off the mat and regained his feet.

“Thank you, thank you very much,” Ferris replied, still lying on the floor as Eric approached. 

She didn’t make any motion to move and just looked up at him with a decidedly haughty expression. Remember what Eric thought about Ferris not showing off and gloating? Forget all of that. 

“Well, are you just gonna lie there the rest of the night?” Eric asked, his expression neutral 

“Might as well, training starts in five hours anyway,” She replied with a shrug. 

“You’re unbelievable,” Eric replied before extending a hand. “Get off the floor you dork.”

Ferris chuckled at herself before taking his hand and standing up. She cracked her neck before brushing off her shorts. They were now less than a foot apart.

“Thanks for the help by the way,” Ferris said genuinely

“Just don’t let it go to your head,” Eric said in return. 

“Too late.”

Eric only gave her a look. 

“Only reason I let you get away with that is because you have the potential to be a top initiate,” Eric said promptly, a curt look in his eyes. 

Ferris considered it. “I mean, I’m already in the top five,” She said. 

“Top five is decent but you can aim higher,” Eric advised. “Maybe even for number one.”

“You really think I could rank that high?” Ferris asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. 

Normally, Eric would never say something like that to an initiate. He normally didn’t even think about inintates unless he was training them, ranking them, or selecting their permanent positions. But here he was, filling some Candor transfer with hopes and dreams. Who even was he right now?

“I don’t see why not,” Eric replied, with a dismissive shrug and the dahm Candor practically glowed at the recognition. It was enough to make Eric nauseous. 

“Now start heading back to the initiate’s quarters before I have to actually write you up Candor,” Eric said swiftly.

Ferris nodded once in understanding, reading the room quickly in that Eric was done being conversational. She was still an initiate, trespassing, and under close watch by Max after that stunt she pulled in the Pit. Ferris was just thankful Eric had been at least some semblance of nice rather than kicking her out right away and reporting her on the spot. 

“Yes, sir,” She said before swiping her water cup off the floor and slipping her shoes on quickly. 

Just before she could leave, the Candor turned. 

“Thanks for the pointers, really,” She said softly, her pale brown eyes connecting with his steely blue. 

“Anytime,” Eric replied, trying to appear as dismissive as possible even though the stupid Candor had some strange effect on him that he couldn’t quite place. “Now get out of here before I actually change my mind.”

(Ya'll are so cool for reading this far:) thank you!)