A/N: Happy New Year to my wonderful readers! Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows throughout 2015. Thank you also to my wonderful beta reader, BK2U!
Chapter 15: Tobias – Christmas
One of life's sweetest pleasures is watching Tris Prior as she lies asleep, the morning light catching her face just right. It's a sight that Tobias never even knew to miss during their years apart, because he had never seen it before he left. But now he doesn't think he'll ever get enough of it.
He daydreams as his gaze soaks her in, remembering all the details from last night. He knows full well what it meant that she chose that song, and that she sang it to him as they danced. She meant the words as much as he did. No, she means the words as much as he does.
Careful not to disturb her, he props himself up on one elbow so he can see her even better. He spent so many years feeling like he would never have the things that other people do. Not the material objects, per se, but all the moments. He used to watch those jealously when he was younger – glimpses of parents interacting with their children, and lovers with each other, and even friends laughing together. None of that applied to his shell of a life. And truth be told, he didn't feel like he deserved it anyway.
It's amazing how thoroughly Tris has changed that.
She stirs a little, groaning in her sleep, and he can't help smiling as her hair flops inelegantly to the side. It has grown out some over the three and a half months they've been dating, enough to give her fierce bedhead whenever she first wakes up. To him, it's utterly adorable, no matter how much it clearly aggravates her.
The clock switches over to seven-thirty, and he sighs, knowing it's time to rise. Tris has always gone to church with her family on Christmas morning, but the two of them chose not to continue that tradition this year since it's the same church that Marcus attends. Instead, they're going to try the service at one Tobias has been attending sporadically, and that means they need to arrive early to find seats in the holiday crowd that is sure to descend.
"Tris," he murmurs, nuzzling his nose into the side of her face. "You need to wake up."
She moans again, swatting at him instinctively. It draws a chuckle from him.
"Merry Christmas, love," he whispers, his lips tracing her ear. Just how does she always smell so good, anyway?
"I don't want to get up," she mutters somewhat petulantly, and a low rumble of laughter vibrates through his chest.
"You never want to get up, Tris." He shifts so he's on top of her, hovering over her in a plank position. "But it's time."
Her eyes open reluctantly, meeting his. "Why are you on top of me?"
"Habit." He grins at her vaguely confused expression. "It's where my mind goes when I wake up next to you."
She gives an amused snort, clearly more alert now. "Tobias, your mind is always there."
"Can you blame me?" He kisses the base of her throat, letting his lips wander along her neck. "I have a gorgeous girlfriend, who smells incredible, and who feels…." Some type of moan finishes the sentence, before he forces himself to roll off her, flopping onto his back and trying to ignore his very obvious arousal. "You have no idea how tempting you are."
For a moment, her eyes wander down his body, and he hears her breathe out, "This from the Greek god…." His lips twitch at the compliment. He'll probably never like his own appearance, not with how much he resembles his father – and with how many scars mar his body and mind – but it certainly helps to have Tris look at him like that.
Their eyes move to the clock simultaneously, and then Tris sighs, sitting up slowly. "Tonight," she promises, a small smile gracing her face as she runs her fingers lightly over his chest.
He nods as he sits up, too, wishing he at least had time for a cold shower. "I suppose we could always find a bathroom before then." He smirks. "At your parents' house, or the church."
For a split second, her mouth opens, scandalized, before she turns the most flaming shade of red he has ever seen. And then she smacks his forearm, hard.
"What?" he says, trying to look innocent. "I thought that was our new thing to do at group events. Some couples mingle, some stick to themselves, and some have incredible sex in the bathroom."
"Not on Christmas," she protests, her tone incredulous. "And certainly not in church!"
It is rather sacrilegious, he supposes, but somehow that just doesn't seem to bother him as he watches her slip into the bathroom, shaking her head. Maybe his blood flow is too localized at the moment to support his conscience.
"Right," he calls loudly as he drags himself to his feet, starting to collect his clothes for the day. "We'll save it for the New Year's party. Got it."
He's pretty sure that's a chuckle he hears through the door.
Tobias tries hard to maintain his good mood as they pull up to Tris' childhood home just after noon. So far, this has been by far the best Christmas he's ever had, even if the church service was a bit lackluster. And it's not as if there aren't members of Tris' family that he wants to see today, so he makes a valiant effort to focus on them while he climbs the steps to Andrew's house.
Natalie greets him first, giving him a forced smile and an awkward hug. He returns both with a more genuine version, determined to win her over eventually. She turns to Tris next, leaving him to face her husband.
"Tobias," the older man says stiffly, extending a hand. He shows his teeth in what seems intended to be a friendly gesture. "I'm glad you came." They shake hands briefly before his gaze flicks to his daughter. "And I will try to be a better host this time."
Honestly, it's more of an apology than Tobias expected, so he gives a tight smile in return, nodding his acknowledgement. "Thank you for inviting me back."
Fortunately for both of them, they don't end up spending much time together that afternoon. Instead, Tobias talks with everyone else – helping Natalie in the kitchen, getting to know Caleb and Cara better, and relaxing with Natalie's parents, Anna and Douglas. Tris keeps a sharp eye on her father, probably trying to ensure that he doesn't start any unwelcome conversations, but it gradually becomes clear that Andrew feels bad about Thanksgiving and has no wish to repeat his mistakes.
The meal comes and goes, with the larger group dispersing into smaller conversations while Tris and Caleb clean up. They adamantly refuse Tobias' help, which is probably a code for needing some brother-and-sister time alone, so he finds himself smiling softly as he watches them move back and forth from the dining room table to the kitchen, joking and elbowing each other and almost dropping a number of dishes.
"See, now that's what love is supposed to look like." Douglas' voice is just loud enough to carry – aimed at his wife as they both take seats on the couch that sits perpendicular to where Tobias is sitting. With a smirk, he gestures between Tobias and Tris, instead of between the siblings. "It should be obvious to the world."
"That's not fair," Anna responds, scolding her husband in a manner that's more sweet than annoyed. "I'm sure that Caleb and Cara love each other very much. They simply show it differently."
Tobias' eyebrows rise as he fully grasps that Tris' grandparents are comparing his relationship to Caleb's. The realization is reinforced by the elderly man's snort. "You can't be in love without passion."
"Just because you haven't observed it doesn't mean it's not there," Anna insists, more firmly now. "I seem to recall you saying something similar about Natalie and Andrew, and they have certainly proven you wrong."
Douglas lifts a shoulder, inclining his head in reluctant agreement before giving Tobias a look, wordlessly inviting him to join the conversation. But the younger man has no desire to insult Caleb; after all, Tris' brother has been considerably kinder to him than her parents have.
"I suppose you're right," Douglas admits after a moment. "But I would certainly feel more comfortable if they looked at each other the way those two do." He gestures again between Tobias and where Tris is currently piling plates from the table into her arms.
Anna considers that, pursing her lips. "I don't know. Those two have always looked at each other that way, and yet here they are, still just dating after all this time." Her expression challenges Tobias to provide an explanation. "So, perhaps that look isn't everything."
"I…um…." Tobias swallows, suddenly on the defensive and wondering if the two of them planned that the whole time. "It's not like we've been together for all these years. I actually was in Boston for most of it." He scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. "We've been back together for less than four months."
"Hmm." Douglas' mouth is a flat line now, and Tobias can feel sweat starting to prickle his forehead. He didn't expect the kindly old couple to put him on the spot.
"So, you're not just leading our granddaughter on?" Anna asks, her tone surprisingly intimidating for a woman in her seventies. It takes Tobias a few seconds to notice the amusement crinkling around her eyes – and to realize that they're playing him to figure out how serious he is. Fortunately, he has nothing to hide in that regard.
"I am most definitely not leading her on."
"And that means what, exactly?" Douglas adds, picking up his wife's start. "Marriage? Children? What are your intentions, young man?" Again, he keeps his face almost straight, only a hint of humor seeping through.
In that moment, Tobias decides to be blatantly honest. "I'm not the one you need to ask. If I had my way, we'd beat Caleb and Cara to it." It doesn't matter how recently they got back together; he's completely sure of what he wants. "But Tris needs more time." At Anna's questioning look, he realizes how that sounds, and he quickly adds, "Understandably so. But still – the timing is up to her. I'm ready whenever."
The elderly couple exchange a glance, before Douglas nods slowly, his expression sympathetic. "Yes, sometimes the ladies need a little convincing." He reaches out, patting his wife's knee gently. "But they come around eventually." For a second, his gaze holds Tobias', making it clear how long he waited for Anna to accept his proposal. It's oddly reassuring to hear that.
The corners of Tobias' mouth tug upwards as he admits, "I have high hopes for this time next year."
Anna smiles at that, but it's Douglas who answers aloud. "Making a New Year's resolution, son?"
They seem startled by how adamantly Tobias shakes his head. "God, no."
Silence dominates for several long seconds as confusion fills the older man's features. His wife's eyes narrow, her mental gears working rapidly, before a grin spreads slowly across her face. She nods, understanding in her eyes.
"Of course not, dear." She pats her husband's hand soothingly before turning back to Tobias. "Because no one ever keeps those, do they?"
The sides of Tobias' mouth lift, acknowledging her correct conclusion. "And I want this to happen."
Douglas gives a wry chuckle. "Fine, go with the old-fashioned approach, then." He leans back into the couch, making himself more comfortable. "But don't wait another decade, okay? I'd like to live long enough to see my youngest grandchild get married."
Tobias' lips twitch at the request. "I'll see what I can do."
It's difficult to keep his hands off Tris the rest of the afternoon. Part of it is the sheer physical draw, as always, but there's also a new form of intimacy that springs from admitting his goals to her grandparents. He can see the twinkle in Anna's eyes whenever she looks at them, and Douglas keeps finding opportunities to pat him on the back or shoulder, expressing gruff approval of him to everyone within earshot.
Between the two of them, plus Caleb's clear support and the way Cara follows her fiancé's lead, Tobias finds himself feeling a lot more welcome than he had expected. He's almost sorry when they call it a day, working their way gradually to the door, saying their goodbyes as they go.
"Hopefully we did a little better this time?" Andrew asks, giving a firm shake with one hand and a companionable clap to the younger man's shoulder with the other. He's clearly relieved when Tobias nods, smiling much less awkwardly than at the start of the afternoon.
Natalie's expression, on the other hand, is difficult to read. She seems downright nervous as she pulls Tobias into a hug, facing him for a moment afterwards. "I want you to know that we genuinely had no idea all those years." She shifts uncomfortably. "There are things you don't know about that played a role in convincing us that Marcus was telling the truth."
Before Tobias can figure out how to respond, she glances quickly at her daughter, who is still talking with Andrew, and then reaches into the stand by the door, pulling out a manila envelope. Her fingers play apprehensively with the top for a few seconds before she meets Tobias' gaze again.
"After what you said at Thanksgiving, I started wondering about a lot of things." Her voice is tight. "Things that I had been certain of before." She clears her throat. "You probably don't know that my brother is a private detective, but I asked him to do some research." Hesitantly, she extends the envelope to Tobias. "What he found is in here. It won't be easy to read, but I think maybe you need it."
Tobias takes the envelope automatically, not at all sure how to feel about it. He's speechless as Natalie adds, "But don't read it alone. And not tonight." Her lips lift in a sad smile. "It is Christmas, after all."
He's still trying to process her words when she gives his arm a gentle squeeze, turning back into her home and disappearing from sight. He watches after her until Tris takes his hand, leading him to the taxi, clearly oblivious to the conversation that he shared with her mother. All he can think as they ride back to his apartment is that this is definitely not the ending he had expected for this day.
A/N: I know this chapter was short, but on the bright side, the story is going to continue for somewhat longer I originally anticipated. It's currently mapping out as 21 chapters, though that might change slightly. In the meantime, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. :-)