Note: I started this back in February and then life got in the way and then recently it REALLY got in the way. But here I am, on the other side.
Thank you to AzikaRue394, Player Zero, James Birdsong and MidnightStarr for the reviews.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.
Vent
"What are you doing home?"
It was a genuine question dressed in confusion. Mariam had walked through the door to her father's work and remained patiently against the wall while he finished chastising some of his lower ranks. When he sent them on their way finally, regarding his daughter uncertainly, they gawked at the older woman openly. She opted to ignore them. Now alone in the room, Mariam studied her dad and the question that still hung in the air.
"Figured I'd save you time."
Tobias frowned at her dancing around the question. She was never one to be direct when it came to him. He started to clean up his office, which was really more like a closet full of dilapidated equipment. "What are we talking about?"
"Just want to get the told-you-so's over with."
He regarded his daughter again, noting the bitterness in her voice. She had her arms crossed over her chest, attempting to be nonchalant but coming across more defensive. He continued to clean, not wanting to get into a fight the second she got home.
"Mariam?" he offered when she hadn't continued.
"Max and I broke up."
He wasn't sure what to say. His focus continued on piling up worn shields into a box, weighing this new information carefully. Mariam had been with Max for a while now and he truthfully gave up on trying to change her mind a long time ago; he just had a terrible habit of maybe judging the boy too harshly. Max wasn't terrible, just different.
"What happened?" Tobias struggled on being neutral.
"Don't you mean, what did he do?" Mariam had an edge in her voice, making Tobias question the very thought. He sighed and met her gaze momentarily. Suddenly it felt like she was challenging him. He placed one more dusty shield into the wooden crate before taking a seat on another and crossing his own arms to match her stance.
"No I did not. What happened?" He needed to stay neutral.
"Like I said, we broke up."
From the tension in the room, he hazard a guess. "He broke up with you?"
Mariam scoffed at the question. Her eyes diverting from her father's to a far off corner in the room, her expression closed off. Tobias tried to read the emotion in her eyes. He was never good at these types of things, usually left any emotional affairs to his wife. She was obviously angry, but she was guarding something else inside. Mariam pursed her lips at his silence.
"Try again."
"You broke up with Max?"
It was the only other logical choice. Tobias continued to watch his daughter, still holding herself together against the wall, steely gaze off in the distance. He opted to uncross his own arms, settling his hands to his side, attempting to appear less combative. His wife told him he had a habit of coming across this way with Mariam, whether intentional or not.
"Bingo."
Tobias took a breath knowing he needed to tread carefully. As far as he knew, there hadn't been any issues before she left on her most recent trip.
"Did something happen?"
"Obviously."
Mariam's eyes fell back to her father expectantly. She studied his expression, eyebrows raised awaiting some type of response. Tobias gripped the edge of the wooden crate he sat on, steadying himself mentally to not get into an argument. His fingers traced the edges of the rough lumber sensing his daughter becoming more agitated by every second of silence.
He considered his next words carefully. "Did he... cheat on you?" He struggled to remain neutral. The possibility alone rose his blood pressure. Tobias tensed up. He knew there was a reason he never really trusted that boy.
"Please." Mariam sighed quietly. She rolled her eyes, her demeanour crumbling slightly in the process. He swore he could see hurt somewhere buried in her expression. Her hold on herself fell momentarily as she glanced to the ceiling. "I don't think Max even knows other women exist."
This confused Tobias. There were definitely traces of pain hidden on her face. Tobias lost his composure, standing from his seat and crossing his arms once again across his chest. He studied his daughter hard, approaching as her attention settled back on him. "Did he hurt you?" He was working himself up at the thought. His face was turning red. Letting one of his hands stray from across his chest, he ran a hand furiously through his beard. "Mariam, did he touch you? I swear-"
"God dad, no!" Mariam snapped. She was off the wall and like clockwork they were face to face, poised as usual for one of their arguments. Tobias still saw the pain in her eyes. He puffed his chest, refusing to let things go and bearing down for a fight.
"Mariam." It was a warning. His wife would be mad he lost his composure or that he was pushing Mariam too far. Probably both. But he also knew that the only way out of the office was through him and right now they were standing toe to toe. "He obviously did something." Mariam stared him down. Silence. Frustrated, Tobias threw his hands up. "You have been running away from home for a long time now, Mariam. You don't come back early. What did he do?"
"He said he loved me."
Tobias faltered. The words had left her mouth and began to crumble the walls she built up. Her hands dropped to her side as she retreated a few steps back, her body finding solace against the wall once again. She considered her dad for a second before deciding to place her hands behind her back, the cool surface was refreshing on her skin, but didn't suffice enough as a distraction.
"I," Tobias began. He dropped his own hands to his hips. He took a deep breath again with his focus on the floor, needing to disperse his unneeded negative energy. This wasn't the time for a fight after all. He looked back up his daughter thoughtfully. "I don't understand."
"What does he know about love?" There was the edge in her voice again. She shook her head in annoyance, a clear scowl wormed its way onto her face. Tobias could see the shine of tears threatening to escape in her eyes. He knew she would rather escape herself than ever cry in front of anyone. "He's a kid. He doesn't know anything about love."
Tobias nodded, not moving an inch closer or further away. Didn't want to invoke her fight or flight response. "What do you know about love?"
He hadn't meant it as a challenge but the look on her face told him Mariam thought otherwise. "Nothing," she snapped back, "I don't know anything about love, but I know it's not what he's feeling."
Tobias' hands fell from his hips. He gave Mariam a tight smile. "You don't get to decide how he feels."
"He's nineteen, dad. What could he possibly know about love?" Exasperated, Mariam pushed herself off the wall again. Back to being toe to toe with her dad, she threw her hands up in the air. "I'm the only girl he's ever seriously dated and we spend most of our time in different continents. He is barely out of high school. His mom controls so much of his life still. He can't decide if he wants to be in Japan or in the US most days. Tell me dad, how could he know anything about love?"
"And if he does?" He knew the only reason she was still here was because he was in the way of the door. And while his heart hurt for her, he didn't dare reach out. "What happens if it is true? What if he is in love with you?"
Mariam was taken back. Stunned she stared at her father before her anger took hold again. She stepped further to get into his face. "You never even liked Max."
"Well, he's not in love with me." Mariam looked ready to run. Or punch him. Sometimes it was hard to tell. "I don't know many men that would go somewhere they weren't welcomed. And I mean once, forget however many times Max has been here. Standing up for himself, for you... Standing up to me. This is just what I have seen."
"Okay, I'm not dealing with this." Mariam huffed, brushing past Tobias roughly. He quickly grabbed a hold of her wrist to stop her, but she tore it away without a second thought. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to just choose his side now because I'm not on it. You're always against what I think."
She was at the door.
"You're not that hard to love."
Mariam faltered. She looked back at her dad, lost again. There were no words.
"You're not." Tobias shrugged. He took a seat back on his wooden crate, hands gathered in his lap. He pulled at his fingers restlessly. "And maybe you don't think you deserve it... and maybe that's my fault. Maybe it freaks you out that Max just feels so much and you haven't figured out how you feel yet. You don't have to be on the same schedule. But... you are capable of being loved."
He didn't recognize the expression on his daughter's face. Tobias scratched at his beard absentmindedly, never one for these types of conversations.
"Don't get me wrong, you're still a pain in the ass."
Mariam snorted and Tobias smiled softly. Reluctantly she stepped away from the doorway, closer to where he was seated. Mariam crossed her arms sitting on another crate. "He just... really freaked me out." Tobias nodded. "Next thing I knew, I was here."
His wife would know what to say. She would probably correct everything he did wrong later. He figured he would try anyway. "Here's the thing. Only one of us can be right."
"And you're saying you're right?"
"I'm saying if you're right and he doesn't love you, he won't come after you. He'll be that boy I always thought he was and move on at the first sign of trouble. On the other hand, if I'm right, he knows you. He'll give you some time to breathe. He'll be the man you always knew he was, show up here but still give you the space you need. He'll let you be you."
"Kinda sounds like you'll be right either way..."
"Either way, I know it will be scary. You won't know what he chose at first. It's terrifying to think someone has so many feelings for you, but just as terrifying to realize they didn't."
Mariam watched her dad thoughtfully. "You know, I would've been fine with an I-told-you-so." Her small smile told Tobias otherwise.
He stood up from his crate, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I hope I am right this time around." Her hand covered his own as he gave a light squeeze. "That's an I-told-you-so I would love to give."
