tobias | ✔

sixteen - tobias

"How are you doing today, Tris?"

Zeke, leaning against a wall outside Uriah's office, stood straight when Tris walked into the police station. She clutched her hands tighter around the cup containing the protein shake as she felt the small feeling inside her intensify. As if sensing it, Zeke glanced in the same direction where Tris knew her soulmate sat at his desk. His shoulders became tense, but Tris didn't want to look. The string, the one that connected her with Tobias, tugged her to look at him, run her eyes over him, make sure he was okay the previous events of his hangover and getting punched in the face.

But she didn't look. They hadn't talked for the whole day yesterday and he didn't message her once. Zeke was able to get Uriah's permission easily about using the training room he had put in the police station, Uriah having confirmed how there was new punching bags there also, so a trip to the gym wasn't necessary. If Uriah had time that day, he said he would stop in also and teach Tris pointers that deemed helpful.

Glancing to Tobias would break the punishment she had set up against him the moment she walked out of Zeke's guest bedroom.

But maybe her eyes, on him, would be the one thing that pushed him to apologize for his behavior--to want to teach her how to fight, while standing by her side and letting her be her own person.

So when Tris looked over, she made sure her eyes didn't search but rather land right on Tobias's captivating, dark blue ones. She wasn't sure it was really an effort, though, but instead the soulmate bond between them.

But as she turned away and followed Zeke up to the training room, she tried to avoid the small feeling of remorse and Tris wished she could scream to Tobias that the situation they were in wouldn't be happening if he'd just stand up and apologize.

+++

"Keep your feet spread shoulder-width apart." Zeke was nodding behind her as she did the right command. Sweat was already gathering on her forehead from the hour workout he had put her through before showing her to the punching bags. He wrapped her hands with tape after she dried the sweat from them, limiting the risk of splitting open her knuckles. "Right. Now hold up your hands like I taught you when we were fighting. Make sure your thumbs are outside your closed fists--good. Practice punching the bag with swift punches against it, but not directly to it."

Zeke walked away from standing behind her and Tris didn't glance behind to see where he went. She began to imitate what Zeke had told her, or what she could do to the best of her ability. The bag didn't move at first and after a few tries, she dropped her arms, muscles trembling.

"Keep trying. You have to gather all of your strength and push it into your arms for it to actually move the bag."

She still didn't look behind her to Zeke. It was determination that went through every bone of her body when she lifted her arms into position again.

Tris couldn't believe Tobias. He didn't seem understand that she was terrified of the situation too. Ever since Eric had said to her he couldn't wait to do to her what he did to her father, that terror and confusion about what exactly he did had been building inside of her. No matter how much Tobias thought and said he could protect her, Eric himself had said it wouldn't be enough. Tris didn't know what she would have to do to Tobias to get him to understand that. She didn't know how to tell him that every day she felt the feeling of him not wanting to lose her--that fear. It just added with the amount of hers for not wanting to lose him and made the whole thing overwhelming.

It hurt so much to know what was wrong and not be able to do a single thing about it. She wanted Tobias to just talk to her and he had put up walls, blocking out the situation before Tris could try and do so.