The floor creaks underneath Tobias's feet as he tiptoes through the front door of his apartment, and he continues praying to God that he will not wake Tris. It has been a few days since Tris's showdown with Natalie, and since then, she has been staying at Tobias's apartment. Zeke and Shauna don't mind at all, they love having her over, and it is a welcome change for Tobias as well.
Now the couple can see each other far more often, even with Tobias's crazy work schedule. It is quite nice… and he finds himself dreading the day that she'll move back into the Prior penthouse. That's not to say he doesn't want Tris and her mother to patch things up, he does, he really does. But these past few days with her have made the idea of asking her to move in with him very tempting.
He won't do that, though. She's younger than him, she's definitely not ready for that step, her mother would most likely disown her. Tris hasn't said much about her fight with Natalie. Just that her mother took it how she expected she would. But if Tobias had to guess, he would say that part of their argument to do with him.
He's no fool. He knows Natalie Prior is no fan of his. He was honestly surprised she tolerated his presence for as long as she did, but he is fairly certain that when the news about Tris's college choices came out, Natalie also brought down the hammer of disapproval for her boyfriend. He wonders why she is so disapproving of him, when she was ready to throw her daughter into the arms of Peter Hayes.
He shakes his head as he tries to walk as silently as possible, cringing at the slight pain accosting the right side of his face. Yes, he likes having Tris over at his place, but this is a rare occasion when he wishes she were not here, because he is not prepared to deal with her onslaught of questions quite yet.
Still trying to be quiet, he opens the fridge and pulls out a pack of frozen peas, trudging over to the bathroom to ice his face. Hopefully he can get the swelling down before Tris wakes up. After all, it is a Saturday, and it is fairly early.
He stares at himself in the bathroom mirror. The bruise encompassing his right temple and cheekbone is a deep, ugly purple color. He suspects that by tomorrow it will have started to yellow, making him look even more grotesque. He grimaces as he places the peas on his face, hoping to make the damage look slightly less severe. Still, none of the pain can diminish the satisfaction coursing through his veins. Because as far as Tobias Eaton is concerned, that was the very last time he will ever have to endure a punch like that, the last time he will ever have to see Marcus Eaton's face. Besides, he's quite sure that his father looks worse than he does right now, a thought which causes him to grin, until a sharp pain scorches through his temple.
"What the hell?!"
In the bathroom mirror, he sees a very horrified looking Tris standing behind him, her mouth agape. Shit, he forgot to close the door.
"Uh," Tobias sets down the peas and turns to face his girlfriend, "Good morning." She looks perfect, her hair a tangled morning mess, wearing nothing but his t-shirt, which despite being oversized on her, still shows lots and lots of leg.
"Good morning?!" She reiterates. "What the hell happened to your face, Tobias?!"
"Okay, okay, can you be a little bit quieter?"
Tris folds her arms. "Be quieter?! I wake up at 8 o'clock this morning to find my boyfriend not in bed, and when I come to the bathroom I see he has the biggest shiner I've ever laid eyes on!"
"I'll explain everything," Tobias tells her, his eyes nervously scanning the hallway. "I just do not want to wake Zeke and Shauna."
Tris clenches her jaw. "Fine. Bedroom. Now."
She marches swiftly to the bedroom, Tobias in tow, and shuts the door behind them. When Tobias sits down on the bed, looking up at his girlfriend nervously, she approaches him and stands in between his legs. Cupping his face in her hands, careful not to touch his bruise, she asks him gently this time, "What happened, Tobias?"
"My father happened," he responds honestly.
Upon hearing those words, Tris presses her lips together, her eyes moving upwards to focus on a spot on the wall.
"Fuck, Tobias. Why exactly were you meeting with Marcus at the asscrack of dawn? I'm assuming it wasn't for a father son breakfast date."
"He called me yesterday asking for a meeting. He had figured out something was going on, and he wanted to know just the hell what."
Tris's eyes snap back to his, worry present in her gaze. "And?"
"Well, as you know, now that I'm on speaking terms with my mom again, we chat on the phone pretty regularly. One night, I decided to ask her exactly what information she leveraged against Marcus to get him to agree to a divorce."
Tris nods along, still tense. "I see."
"Well, let's just say I didn't show up to that meeting unprepared. Marcus was, of course, outraged that I would try to blackmail him. He threw the first punch of indignation, but found that our fights are now a lot fairer now that I'm grown. Trust me, Tris. He definitely looks worse than me."
Tris looks shocked. "You fought your dad?"
Tobias grows worried that she's judging him, that she is beginning to think he's violent, just like his father. He doesn't think he is… he did what was necessary to defend himself and walk away a free man. Finally. After 20 goddamned years. "I retaliated," Tobias tries to explain, "I didn't walk in there wanting things to get brutal-"
"I know that. I'm not worried about that… I'm just… so proud of you, Tobias. You finally stood up to that son of a bitch."
Tobias looks down, biting his lip. "Yeah, uh. It seems like my mom's information was good enough to work a second time. Tris, Marcus is no longer on my back. He is no longer a part of my life, I… I don't fucking work for Eaton Enterprises anymore!" Saying the words out loud really makes them sink in. He did it.
"Tobias!" She shrieks in elation, hugging him tightly. "That is amazing. You did it."
"We did it," He corrects her. He would have never, ever, made it this far if it weren't for Tris's support, if it weren't for her believing in him. Tobias always thought that a career in art was a pipe dream, something to fantasize about as he dozed off to sleep at night, but… now he is closer than ever. And it is all thanks to her.
The pay is far, far less than what Eaton Enterprises paid. But, he has enough saved up, and pursuing one's passion is far more important than wealth. If there is one thing that Tobias has learnt growing up in the world that he did, it is that.
"Wait," Tris pulls back, staring at Tobias with furrowed brows, "What exactly was this information you used against Marcus?"
"You don't want to know, Tris," Tobias tells her truthfully. At her flat stare, he sighs. "I wish I didn't have to know… unfortunately it was the only way to get through to him. It's… I'll spare your ears the trauma. Awful things happen in this world, and you know that, but finally it can be buried, once and for all. I want you to leave it alone, okay?"
Tris nods, though she still looks a bit weary. It is no secret to anyone that the rich and powerful are corrupt, but Tobias didn't fully realize the extent of the dehumanizing things they do just to obtain as much power as they have. When Evelyn sent him some documents as proof of Marcus's atrocities, Tobias was appalled to be related to such a man. One day. One day my father will be behind bars for all his crimes. I will make sure of it.
"So… what now?" Tris asks him.
"Well, I'm fucking exhausted. So a nap would be great."
Tobias wakes up to a chilling sensation on his face. Tris is sitting on top of him, pressing the bag of frozen peas to his bruise. He sighs, sinking back into his pillow.
"You don't have to do that," he tells her.
"Yes I do. You look like hell."
"Wow, thanks."
Her mouth twists up into a smile. "Still handsome as ever, don't get me wrong, but this definitely needs some more icing before you get lots of questions."
"Well, you should see the other guy."
"Is it bad that I'm kind of disappointed that I can't?"
Tobias chuckles. "No. Not bad at all."
A comfortable silence falls between the couple as she presses the peas more firmly onto his face. Tobias's fingers idly reach up and trace up and down her arm, loving the goosebumps that pepper across her skin when he does so. "So, what's up?" He asks finally.
"My mom just got back in from Paris," she informs him. "She had left the day after our fight, but now she is back."
"Are you going to have words with her?"
Tris shakes her head stubbornly. "Not yet… I need some time. And… I think in this instance she needs to reach out to me first."
"You're right," Tobias tells her softly. "And… you should take all the time you need away from her. Mostly 'cause I'm selfish and I want you to stay here like forever."
Tris laughs at this. "Trust me. Being here is like a fucking paradise compared to that penthouse."
Tobias smiles, his fingers still continuing their movements up and down her arm. "I'm glad to hear it."
Tris removes the peas from his face, and Tobias is relieved to no longer feel that icy biting. "We should go eat. I dunno about you, but I'm pretty starved."
As if in response, Tobias's stomach growls lowly.
"Mhm, that is what I thought. Let's go."
The kitchen doesn't have much. With Tris over, it is one more person being fed, and Zeke already eats enough for 3, so the only thing they have left is eggs. Tobias can work with that, though.
As he cooks two omelettes; one for himself and one for his girlfriend, Tris sits across from him on the island, typing away at her computer.
"What are you up to?" He asks her.
"Uh," she looks up, "USC stuff. You know their library is fucking insane? God, it's gorgeous. Just imagining studying here every night next year gives me chills. Sometimes… I just can't wait to get out of here."
Tobias feels his heart stop at those words. To him, they are confirming all of his worst fears. He is only temporary to her, he is just something she is using to occupy her time while she is bored, she can't wait to get out of here, away from him, and to be around people who are far more stimulating than him. For a moment, he can't breathe.
"Um," he finds his voice, "Here's your breakfast." He flips the omelette out of the pan onto her plate, and she thanks him, having no idea the impact that her words had on him.
"So, what exactly happened to your face?" Shauna presses for about the 5th time, as she and Tobias walk side by side through Millennium Park.
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"I thought the old Tobias was the one who kept all these secrets."
"There are just… some things you and Zeke don't have to know, okay? But trust me when I say that everything is okay now. Please, don't worry." And please, stop fucking asking me about it.
She sighs. "Does Tris at least know how you got that bruise?"
"Yes, yes she does."
"Fine. Then I'll drop it. I just… want you to have at least one person to be able to confide in fully. But, if you show up home with any other unexplained wounds, you are telling us everything."
"That won't be happening. Trust me."
Shauna smiles at those words. "You and Tris haven't been speaking much today," she observes, eyeing Tris who is walking a few feet ahead of them with Zeke and Uriah, her head tipped back in laughter. The group all decided to head down to Millennium Park for a walk, as it is a nice spring afternoon. The entire time over, Zeke and Shauna questioned Tobias about his bruise, and when they met Uriah, he also flipped out.
Tobias merely lifts a shoulder. "I'm just… kind of tired today." But what he really wanted to say to Shauna was "Get the hell out of my business."
Shauna gives him a disbelieving look. "Come on. I can give advice! I'm no stranger to relationship problems. You, however, are, since you are also a huge stranger to relationships."
Maybe it would feel good to talk about it, to see what another girl thinks. He looks nervously ahead at the trio to make sure they aren't listening, before telling Shauna what occurred earlier that day while he was making breakfast.
"Well, I understand why you would be hurt by that," Shauna says when he's finished.
"See?"
"But… I truly don't think Tris had any malicious intentions."
"I don't think so either, but, it was kind of insensitive to say, don't you think?"
Shauna sighs, thinking for a moment. "It really depends on the person. Tris, for example, is not like you. She doesn't hold onto the weight and meaning of things so much, she's more of a free spirit, she lets life lead her blindly for the most part. And you, well you don't. You're someone who needs lots of validation through every step of the way, and if one little thing is off, you sort of freak out."
Tobias is not very comfortable with Shauna laying his entire psyche out on the table like it's casual conversation.
"Since Tris isn't really like you, it probably didn't occur to her that you would take her words so literally."
"What other way is there for me to take them?"
"Tobias. What you're not realizing is that home can be a person. It's not always a place. And actually, oftentimes, it isn't. Tris wanting to get out of here, isn't the same as her wanting to get away from you, or to cut off all contact with you. Have you seen how much that girl cares for you? She's fucking smitten. That doesn't just go away with distance. Just because she wants to chase her dreams does not mean she is going to forget about you during the process. You guys are too amazing together for that to happen."
"You really think so?" Tobias asks his friend once he's absorbed her words.
"I think so… but if you want the real answer you've got to talk to Tris herself. Not communicating with each other has already caused the two of you enough bumps in the road. You don't want to make that same mistake again by withholding this from her."
Tobias knows that Shauna is right. She is very right. But he doesn't say anything in response. He just continues looking ahead of him, at Tris's little blonde head moving up and down as she and Uriah make exuberant conversation. He won't shut down on her this time. She means too much to him, she has done so much for him, and deep deep down, he is sure that she feels the same way about him, even if he gets scared.
"Talk to her, Tobias."
Thank you for all the kind reviews on the last chapter. I always love reading what you guys have to say. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, too.
-Kiki