Summary: It's been a really long time since you've seen Tommy's smile, so your hoping a day out together might help you find it.
Word count: 1760
Written For: @running-out-of-time, over at Tumblr for her 3K prompt celebration.
Warnings: Mostly fluff
A/N: It's been forever since I've written anything and this took a lot of broken sessions to complete (life's been increasingly hectic) so I hope this doesn't feel too disjointed.
Please feel free to send me a message or comment, I would love to know what you think.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was hard. Hard for you to see Tommy this way. Fragments were all you got these days. Fragments of the man you reluctantly farewelled to fulfill his duties on the battlefields of France. Like so many others he returned forever changed, weighed down by the heavy shadows that lingered in his head. Shadows that twisted his dreams into nightmares any time he finally found sleep. But at least he returned, for many did not. And for that you were thankful. Because a world without Tommy by your side was a world you couldn't comprehend. But you missed his smile, his real smile. And that's what you were in search of today. A few stolen moments together. Hoping it might help him forget his relentless ambitions for just long enough to let that smile emerge.
The cabin of the car was quiet, the only noise interrupting the silence coming from the engine under the hood. Tommy's mind had been particularly absent these past few days and you had given up trying to sustain any form of conversation between the two of you. But it wasn't uncomfortable, and you knew he appreciated the fact you weren't trying to fill the silence with meaningless chatter.
Taking your attention from the road, you glanced towards him, his gaze moving over the passing paddocks outside his passenger window. It was a glorious spring morning. The sun was soft and golden, spilling gently across the countryside. Bringing to life the remaining drops of dew left behind by the cool night air. Pasture after pasture adorned with countless liquid filled jewels. It was a beautiful sight, such a stark difference to the dull grey streets of Small Heath and you hoped Tommy was taking it all in.
With a gentle sigh, he turned to face you, his eyes brushing over your hands upon the steering wheel before settling on your face. He smiled softly, though it barely touched his lips, "So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?"
After a few short moments you replied with a shake of your head, "You'll find out soon enough, we're nearly there." Deciding you were being a little too cryptic, you elaborated, but only a little, "It's somewhere my nan used to bring me as a child, I snuck up here yesterday just to make sure it was going to be worth it."
It was a poor effort at being less cryptic. Tommy's brows furrowed at your reply, but his intrigue peaked. You had told him many stories about your grandmother and all the fond memories you had of her, but he couldn't recall a single story that would bring him here, an hour's drive out of Birmingham. You could almost see his mind flicking through the catalogue of every conversation the two of you ever had, his expression was perplexed and utterly adorable, and you responded with an amused smile. Lifting a hand from the steering wheel, you pointed up ahead to a small country laneway, bordered on each side by a row of beautiful oaks, "It's less than a minute's drive down that laneway."
