2P!ItalyXDauntless!Reader

Dauntless. You let your blood drip onto the stones in front of you, praying that you made the right choice.

  Switching factions meant leaving your family, your old life, behind and starting a new one. Dauntless is the faction that protects the city and handles all the weapons. Why were you choosing Dauntless? You thought their lifestyle had more of a rush to it, and that it wouldn’t be as boring as your life now. Well you thought it was boring. Other factions might find your lifestyle to suit them, but it just wasn’t you.

  Soon after, you said goodbye to your family and jumped onto the train leading to Dauntless headquarters. The wind ripped through your hair and you thought you were going to fall out. Even before you started training it was hard, you had to jump from a moving train and onto a roof. You remembered being so terrified, but you realized the Dauntless do this every day. If they could do it, you could do it.
 
  That was all just a memory, now that a few weeks have passed. Training was intense and violent, the lifestyle was just as hard. More than once you considered leaving, and tried to convince yourself that you made the wrong choice. You knew going back to your family wasn’t an option, so the only way to get out of it was to escape.
 
  But you would rather be dead than factionless.

---

  You awoke one morning when you heard the other transfer initiates begin to stir. You opened your (e/c) eyes slowly, but it was too dark to see much around you. Running a hand through your messy (h/c) hair, you slipped your feet over the side of the bed and stood. You shouldered past the others, still drowsy with sleep and put on your training clothes. A pair of black pants and a black tee-shirt, the color of the Dauntless.

  It has been the same routine every day since you arrived. Wake up, train for several hours then you have the rest of the evening to do what you pleased until you went to bed. You left the room a bit late and walked out into the dimly lit corridors of the building. You winced whenever you put weight onto your left leg. You hurt it yesterday while in training. Part of the first stage of training is fighting the other initiates, you were doing fairly well but that didn’t mean you were spared from injury.
 
  "Ragazza, you're limping," a voice sounded from behind you and you spun around. Standing there was none other than Luciano Vargas, one of the overseers of the training. His violet eyes sparkled in the low light and his auburn hair shined. He had a curl that protruded from the side of his head and bounced around whenever he moved.
 
  You gulped and straightened up, weakness was not ignored in this place, and you were not going to seem weak in front of authority like him. "I'm fine," you said quickly.
 
  "That was a pretty bad fall you took yesterday," he continued, walking closer and making your blood run cold. You won the fight you were in yesterday, however, your opponent tripped you during the fight and you fell on your leg.
 
  "I suppose, I still won though," you said, pointing out your strength in the battle.
 
  "You haven't lost a battle yet, are you aware of that?" Luciano asked, his violet eyes seemed like they were boring into your soul.
 
  "I am aware," you said quietly.
 
  Luciano looked like he was going to say something, but he was waved over to a group by one of the other Dauntless leaders. You let out a sigh of relief as he gave you a quick 'arrivederci' before leaving.
 
  "What was that all about?" you jumped when a voice sounded in your ear. You looked next to you to see your friend, Trystan, standing there. ((Oh look it's me in male form //shot)).
 
  "What the heck! You came out of nowhere!" you cried.
 
  "Yeah, I have a tendency to do that," he said with a smile. His green eyes twinkled mischievously and his short honey-blonde hair looked like he just rolled out of bed. "What was that about?" he repeated.
 
  "I don't know," you admitted staring at the Dauntless leader.
 
  "You know we are doing knife throwing today," Trystan said, changing the topic.
 
  "Oh no," you said slowly. That was Luciano's favorite subject and he often used that time to pick on the initiates. Last practice session, he made an Amity transfer stand in front of the target while he threw knives around him. What did the boy do to deserve it? He didn't hit the bullseye even once.
 
  Trystan grabbed your arm and ran to the training hall so you wouldn't be late. You entered the training room. On one wall was a long rack of knives and the other was covered in targets. You grabbed a knife and held it uncertainly. Since you have been here awhile, training started when you threw the knife, no instruction. You grabbed the knife and hurled it at the board across from you. It hit the edge and you cringed. You grabbed another knife and aimed for the middle. You lifted your hand over your head, brought it down and and let go. It sailed toward the target before something else hit it and it fell.
 
  You instantly shot a murderous glance to the boy next to you and he looked panicked, "It wasn't me."
 
  You raised an eyebrow before looking around to see Luciano staring at you, your eyes made contact and he smirked. You turned away and threw another knife. The same thing happened. After a few more attempts you turned on Luciano, "Do you have a problem?!" you demanded.
 
  Trystan paused mid-throw beside you, "Ah- ________, you might not want to-"
 
  "I don't care! Do you have a problem?" you repeated as Luciano walked up to you. The curl on the side of his head bounced as he walked and instantly the room went silent. He leaned down so close you could feel his breath on your face.
 
  "You shouldn't speak out against a leader," he said darkly.
 
  "You shouldn't tamper with my training," you spat back.
 
  "Maybe you just need to learn to throw better, ragazza."
 
  You clenched your fists to keep from hitting him, "Stop intercepting my knives."
 
  He smirked, "Make me."

  He turned on his heel and began to walk away. You considered chucking the knife at him, but decided that was not a wise idea. You watched his footsteps and kicked under his boot when he lifted the back of his foot. He stumbled ungracefully and turned on you, a knife at your throat.  

  "Care to try that again?" he taunted. He turned you around, so your back faced him, and held the knife against your skin. You felt the blade slice your neck and you winced.
 
  "This... isn't a... fair... fight," you choked out.
 
  "You can't take me in a fight," he purred digging the knife slightly further into your skin.
 
  "Care to... bet," you stammered and you felt his grip release. Your heart beat a thousand miles per hour, you panted and rubbed your neck. When you brought your hand out, there was blood on it.
 
  "You should learn not to speak out against authority," Luciano said in a threatening tone, "I'll teach you your lesson tomorrow at training. We'll see if you can take me in a fair fight."
 
  He twirled the knife in his hand once and walked away.  

---
  "What are you thinking!" Trystan cried when training was over.
 
  You heart was still pounding and blood from the wound in your neck had be running down your shirt by now. It stung but you were to outraged to pay it much heed. The rest of the training session passed in silence, save the sound of the knives being thrown and connecting with their targets.
 
  "Luciano is a jerk and he needs to get his butt kicked!" you said firmly.
 
  "You can't beat him," your friend pressed on, "You have literally no chance. I calculated your odds, he can kill you in less than a few seconds."
 
  "You're Erudite is showing," you said trying to lighten up the conversation.
 
  He's probably right, you thought, but there was no way you were going to admit that. "I am going to take his curl and rip it off his pretty little head," you continued darkly.
 
  Trystan paled at your tone, but you kept thinking of the different ways you could possibly take the Dauntless leader down.
 
  I hope it isn't a to the death fight, you thought suddenly. He was much more experienced than you were and like your friend said, you had no chance.
 
  But you could try.
---
 
  The next morning was full of gossip and betting. You laid in bed, not moving, as you listened to the conversations.
 
  "I think Luciano-san has a better chance," Kiku, an Erudite transfer said.
 
  "Definitely," Trystan responded, "Luciano will destroy her. Don't tell her I said that though."
 
  "No need," you sat up and rubbed your eyes. The two Erudites looked at you in surprise.
 
  “O-oh, Hey _____..” Trystan said awkwardly, “We weren’t talking about you at all.”
 
  “You’re a terrible liar,” you said with a smile.
 
  He hung his head, “I know. But- if you really need some help, Kiku and I were thinking you could use his fears to get to him.”

  You looked at them with a bored expression, “What fears? The man is a cold hearted lunatic that would more than likely kill me for fun.”

  “Everyone has fears _______-san,” Kiku added, “You just need to find out what they are.”

  “How do you expect me to do that?” you inquired.

  “No clue,” your friends said in unison and you flopped back onto your bed. So much for that idea, and you honestly thought it might have worked too. You wondered if Luciano would take it easy on you because you were a girl, but you doubted it. You had to pick a fight with someone and that someone just had to be the most terrifying person in the entire territory.

  You got ready quickly, pulling on the same black uniform as you did everyday, the same routine, but you couldn’t ignore the thought that this would be your last time doing it. Rushing out to the fight room, you looked over the roster. Your name was dead last, and right next to it was Luciano. He was taking the place of someone in the group, you noticed Elizaveta Héderváry was not on the list, Luciano must have taken her place.

  Your blood ran cold, this was really happening. The Dauntless leaders entered the room and began to set up the first match, Trystan vs. Yao. You didn’t even notice the fights go by because you were too busy day dreaming. You thought of the ways Luciano would beat you, or the ways you might be able to survive for more than thirty seconds. No one has been killed during training yet, but that could very well change. Maybe you were just paranoid and over thinking things.

   You jumped out of your state when Trystan laid a hand on your shoulder. He smiled weakly, blood running from a cut on his cheek, “It’s your turn. Good luck… k?”
 
  You nodded, “Okay.”

  You walked forward and met Luciano halfway. He was unarmed, you noted, so at least you didn’t need to worry about being stabbed to death.

  He smiled coldly as he approached you, but you kept a determined face on. You stared dead into his eyes and everyone else around you went silent.

  “We’ll have a fair fight, okay?” one of the other Dauntless leaders said, “Hand in hand combat, rules are the same as the other fights.”

  “Ready ragazza?” Luciano said tauntingly. You nodded and a Dauntless leader blew a whistle.

  Instantly, Luciano whipped a leg out and attempted to trip you. You stepped backwards to avoid his attack but he still hit one of your ankles. You stumbled slightly and he stepped forward and hit you square in the stomach, You fell onto your back, the wind being knocked out of you. You took a deep breath and looked at Luciano, who was lifting a leg to kick you in the side. Panicking, you rolled out of the way and Luciano kicked the air. You kicked his uplifted foot and he stumbled. You took this chance to stand back up.

  You were already panting, but Luciano still looked as fresh as when he started. He grabbed at his shirt, likely looking for a knife out of habit, only to find there was nothing there. You kicked him in the knee while he was confused and he winced. You smiled and noticed Trystan trying to get your attention. You met his eyes and he tapped his temple.

  Why is he thinking at a time like this? Is he trying to tell me to use my head? You didn’t have a strategy, your plan was just not to be killed. You gave Trystan a confused glance before you felt something hit you in the side with such a force you stumbled sideways.

  “You should pay attention,” Luciano said.

  You turned your attention back to him, you couldn’t even think straight enough to think of a good comeback. You tried to trip him, but when your foot connected with his ankle he didn’t even budge. He kicked your leg off you the side, knocking you off balance.

  I am never going to win if all I do is fall over, you thought resentfully. Obviously, hitting his legs are out of the question. You rolled back onto your feet, aware that he was purposely giving you time to stand back up.

  “Have you had enough yet?” Luciano asked. Even if you said yes he would probably not stop attacking you.

  “Not at all,” you panted back. Luciano threw a punch toward your stomach, but you caught his arm and used his own momentum to send him spiraling off to the side.

  Trystan was trying to get your attention again. You shook your head and he looked annoyed, tapping his temple again. Then he made fist and lightly hit his temple. It all clicked. You nodded and smiled so Trystan would stop, if he was caught helping you he would be punished. If you hit Luciano hard enough in the temple he would go unconscious.

  Luciano looked even more annoyed than Trystan when he stood. He straightened out his curl and advanced toward you again. This time you had a plan, apparently so did he. Luciano ran toward you quickly, his hand positioned like he was holding a knife, but balled into a fist instead. You weren’t expecting him to change strategies so you stepped backward. He positioned himself behind you and swung at your neck, the way if he had a knife it would decapitate you.

  You tried to think of how people thought with knives, obviously that was the best way Luciano knew how to fight. They always need to get in close, and he probably knows where the biggest blood vessels are and other various body weaknesses.

  You ducked before he hit you and slammed your head into his abdomen before running the other way. Luciano gasped as the breath ran out of him and used your own trick against you, he kicked your foot as you ran away. You landed sprawled out on the ground, panting with sweat running in beads down your forehead. Luciano turned you onto your back and pinned you to the ground, each and holding one of your wrists.

  You wriggled under his weight, which was surprisingly heavy since he looked so lean. Going into panic mode you lifted your leg and kicked between his legs. His grip faltered and you rolled over so you switched positions, holding both of his wrists.

  “Have you,” you gasped for air, “had enough yet?”

  “No way,” your opponent said smoothly. Something about him looked off, his eyes were wider than usual and his breath was coming in quick pants. It might have been from fighting for so long, it has to have been at least ten minutes by now, the longest match you have ever seen. He quickly pushed you off him and you rolled onto your feet.

  “You are better than I expected,” he said slowly, “I need to try harder than I normally would.”

  “I’ll… take that as a compliment?” you said uncertainly. You needed to end this fight now, you really wouldn’t last much longer. You could always throw it and pretend to pass out, many initiates have done that in the past, but that would mean defeat. You had a plan, you just needed a way to play it out.

  Luciano smirked, you knew he was thinking the same thing. Somehow, you felt he has been toying with you the whole time, not using his full potential, making you suffer more. Your body hurt all over from the several blows he got in and you were certain you were bleeding in at least a few places. Luciano looked unscathed.

  If you could just hit his temple, he would pass out. It was do that, or face defeat. Luciano rushed in again, this time you could tell he wasn’t holding back. Blindly, you swiped toward his head and connected with something. At the same time he hit the side of your neck. You winced and collapsed to the ground. Luciano slumped next to you, his eyes were closed and his breathing came in long breaths.

  You tried to stand up, but you couldn’t find the will to move, you were to tired and your neck hurt. You groaned and twitched.

  “All that… for a draw?” you heard someone say, but it was followed by clapping.

  “Wait-” you heard someone say, “Is ______ still awake?”

  You nodded slowly, a faint movement. Trystan rushed up to you and lifted you onto your feet supporting you.

  “Oh god what just happened?” you said once you got your breath.

  “That attack Luciano got in on your neck should have knocked you out, but you hit him first so it lowered his strength,” Trystan explained.

  “She just beat Luciano,” you heard.

  “Oh my god.”

  I really won? you looked at Luciano, who was still laid out on the floor. A few Dauntless leaders came over and picked him up.

  One of them approached you. You recognized him as Ludwig Beilschmidt, “You won. You should feel proud.”

  “I do,” you said quickly, “I am just surprised… that’s all.”

  “Of course, as are we. Maybe you helped Luciano by defeating him, perhaps it will help him face his fears,” he continued.

  “His fears?” you asked innocently, curiously.

  Ludwig cursed himself for saying too much, “Don’t let him know that I told you this. Luciano’s biggest fear is defeat. He could never face it because he always won.”

  Defeat. That’s it? You remembered the look in his eyes when you had him pinned down. The look in his eyes was fear, the fear of being beaten right there.

  “Defeat will help him,” Ludwig walked away.

  You glanced at Trystan and he smiled, “Lets just get you to bed, you got pretty beat up.”
---

  You awoke the next day very sore. You got ready and walked out to training. You were afraid of the results of yesterday’s fight, would Luciano be angry or seek revenge?

  You weren’t even to the training room when you heard someone say your name. You turned to see Luciano leaning on a wall.
  You paused, not quite as afraid of him as you used to be, “Luciano.”

  “That-” he thought of something to say, “You aren’t a bad fighter,” he said quietly.

  “You are pretty good yourself,” you answered.

  He twirled a knife nervously in his hands, “And I was thinking maybe, since you obviously are going to make it all the way through training, we could hang out,” he said it more like a demand than a suggestion.

  “Ah… okay,” you said with a smile.

  “Good,” he said, “We will fight again when you are made a full Dauntless member, and I will beat you this time.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” you said sarcastically.

~*~ Timeskip to wrap things up a bit ~*~

  You flew back toward the wall and slid to the ground. Luciano poised a knife at your neck, “I win,” he said firmly.

  In the past few months you were made a full Dauntless member, and you have gotten to know Luciano better. He used to fear defeat, because he also feared being weak and that if he wasn’t strong he would be taken advantage of, he explained this to you himself. After you beat him in that fight so long ago, he realized being defeated didn’t automatically make him weak, and he got over his fear.

  He was still terrifying in every aspect, he still enjoyed throwing knives at people and tormenting everyone. You grew to like him, even if he was slightly insane and sadistic.

  You looked into his violet eyes, “Okay, you win.”

  He smirked, “For winning I get a prize.”

  You tipped your head and let out a huff, “I never got a prize when I won,” you countered.

  “You don’t make the rules here,” Luciano said before he leaned in and kissed your lips. You just sat there surprised, and when he stood you grabbed his arm and pulled yourself into a standing position. You grabbed his collar and brought his lips to yours.

  “That’s my prize for when I won all those months ago,” you said firmly.

  “I’ll let such a bella ragazza kiss me anytime,” he responded, “Especially when it is someone like you.” He put a finger under your chin and raised your face to look at him, “Ti amo.”

  “I love you too,” you replied.

  Luciano leaned in like he was going to kiss you again, you grabbed the knife he was holding in his hand and kicked him to the ground.

  “Now, who will win this time? I have the knife,” you chuckled.

  “You’re lucky I like you.”